Mom: Suspect in chase, guitar theft off meds

The man accused Wednesday of leading Vermont police on a 50-mile car chase has been named as the suspect in a guitar heist earlier this week in Burlington.

Thomas Popke, 36, of Hinesburg is facing a host of charges related to both incidents, State Trooper Christopher Brown said.

Popke's mother, Mary Popke, lays blame for her son's behavior on his 11-year struggle with bipolar disorder. Mary Popke said Thomas Popke lives with her and her husband in Hinesburg and had stopped his medication at the time of the incidents.

It started Monday afternoon when Burlington police investigated an incident in which a man walked out of a music store with a guitar worth more than $5,600. The suspect left behind another guitar, police said.

The man left Advance Music with a black guitar case containing a Taylor acoustic guitar.

Then on Wednesday, a man later identified as Thomas Popke led police on a lengthy chase that ended after his car crashed into a state cruiser, police said. After the suspect's arrest by state police, Burlington police on Wednesday night located the stolen Taylor guitar and identified Thomas Popke as the suspect.

He was cited to appear March 19 in Vermont Superior Court in Burlington to face a charge of felony retail theft and unlawful mischief. He could face two or more years in prison if convicted, Brown said.

Barre lawyer Maggie Vincent was assigned to represent Thomas Popke. She could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Police caught up with Thomas Popke early Wednesday morning after he led Vermont State Police from two barracks on a high-speed chase for more than 50 miles, law enforcement has said.

No injuries were reported in the chase or the crash with the cruiser. That incident began when the suspect, who was driving a Porsche, sped away from a gas station without paying for the fill-up, police said.

He was ordered held without bail because he presents a threat of physical harm to the community, Washington County State's Attorney Scott Williams told the Free Press this week.

Mary Popke said her son was diagnosed with the disorder at the University of Vermont Medical Center (then called Fletcher Allen Health Care) when he was 26. Thomas Popke has not allowed his mother to take over as his primary caretaker, and his tendency to stop taking medication has been a constant problem, Mary Popke said.

"I don't know if you're familiar with bipolar disorder, but they go off their meds quite frequently, and you can't get them back on it," she said. "We've gone to the expense to take him to court to get him committed somewhere to get medication into him. He's been manic for a couple of months now, but we couldn't get him in to see a therapist or psychiatrist or get any medicine into him."

Williams, the prosecutor, had told the Burlington Free Press that he was unsure of Thomas Popke's motivation for his alleged actions. A phone call Thursday to Williams was not immediately returned.

Mary Popke maintained that her son was unaware of what he is accused of doing. She said her son has been receiving treatment primarily from the HowardCenter on and off throughout his illness, and he also has been a patient at the state psychiatric hospital and at the psychiatric ward at the UVM Medical Center.

"He's a gentle, harmless person when he takes medication," she said, beginning to cry. "My family has been going through this for 11 years, and it's so hard when all this gets reported, and nobody knows he's not like that."

Thomas Popke has stopped taking medication in the past due to potential effects to his kidneys and a desire to live longer for the sake of his children, Mary Popke said.

"When he gets back on medication, he refuses to talk about it, because he's so embarrassed and so humiliated at what I try and tell him and show him that he did," Mary Popke said.

Mary Popke says a lack of mental-health resources available to her son is to blame for his continued illness.

Thomas Popke is being held in the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans Town. Mary Popke said her son is receiving no mental-health treatment while in the prison.

If found guilty in Washington County, Thomas Popke could face up to 23 years and 9 months in prison if all the possible sentences are added together, Williams said.

Thomas Popke also was cited to appear April 6 in Vermont Superior Court in Middlebury on additional charges of attempting to elude a law enforcement officer, grossly careless and negligent car operation and excessive speed.

More charges from the alleged car chase may be forthcoming, Williams has said.

Contact Haley Dover at 660-1850 or hdover@freepressmedia.com, and follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/HaleyRDover. Contact Elizabeth Murray at 651-4835 or emurray@freepressmedia.com, and follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/LizMurraySMC.